VOL. 55 ISSUE 4 JANUARY 30, 2018 P71
THE TWIN PULSE EFFECT
The crank pin offset is 70°, which gives
the V4 an almost V-twin-like character.
This enables a firing order of 0°, 90°,
290° and 380° and is called Twin Pulse,
because it's almost like the motor is a
massive V-twin, rather than a four. If you
think about a full cycle, the first cylinder
to fire is the front left at 0°, then the rear
left at 90°, followed by the front right at
290°, and finally the right rear cylinder
fires at 380°. The result is not only a
totally unique sound, but a smoother
torque delivery than a traditional 'big
bang' or 'screamer' format. The Ducati
employs a semi dry sump, just like on
the MotoGP bikes.
HOLD IT FLAT
The V4 comes standard with the up-
and down-shift Ducati Quick Shift
system, which means you'll not touch
the clutch once you've left the lights
until you want to come to a stop. The
gearbox itself is a six-speeder and the
clutch wet with 11 driving plates, and it
also has a self-servo mechanism (like a
Slip & Assist unit) that compresses the
friction plates when under drive without
any extra effort from the rider. This has
the added benefit of making the lever
nice and light, while allowing for super
aggressive downshifts without locking
up the rear wheel, but the system
will not engage and allow clutchless
downshifts if you're above 13,000 rpm.
We got five laps
on this V4S fitted
with slicks and the
Akrapovic titanium
race exhaust that is
part of the Ducati
accessory range.
With a claimed 226
hp offered by the
pipe, it made for
the most powerful
production machine
Rennie has ever
tested.
change on this incredible machine.
THE DOMINATOR
Yet for all its electronic and chassis
trickery, there's only one lead tenor
in this new Ducati opera, and that's
the new 1103cc Desmosedici Stra-
dale V4 engine. And while it may
seem like an odd venue to launch
such a powerful machine given its
near stadium-like dimensions, the
Valencia MotoGP circuit highlight-
ed just how flexible yet downright
demonic this new V4 is.
The first thing you'll notice
before you even take off from a
stop is the V4 doesn't sound like
a four-cylinder motor. Running a
twin-pulse firing order and using
a 70° crank pin offset to mimic a
V-twin's behavior, the V4 fires its
cylinders at 0°-90°-290°-380°
and enjoys this gruff, deep engine
New Ohlins front and rear is a
huge improvement over the first
generation of Ohlins fitted to the
Panigale range.
